Reunion
by The-Hogwarts-Phone-Box
Summary: "You're supposed to be dead," she blurted out, tears beginning to furiously run down her face. Her accusation made Jack's chest tighten, but at the same time, he couldn't help but smile. "Nothing can kill me, little lady." Oneshot.


**A/N: Why, hello there! If you're reading this, that means you've clicked on my story! Thanks! Anyway, this is just an oneshot I wrote about a year ago. The other day I opened it up and thought, well, if I just touch it up a little, I can post it. I ended re-writing the whole thing by adding about 3,000 words.**

**The point is, it's better now and ready for R&R. **

**Just a quick note:  I'm not good at accents. Therefore, I have avoided trying to write Bunny's and/or North's. Please forgive me.**

**Also:  While I enjoy constructive criticism, I don't enjoy hateful reviews. So please, save your flames for the BBQ. If you don't like what I've written, just don't read it.**

**Here we go! Don't forget to R&R!**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Rise of the Guardians. All characters belong to William Joyce. The only thing I own is the plot.

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><p>Jack Frost was lazily floating his way through the southern tip of South America, allowing a light snowfall to cascade its way through a small town.<p>

He sighed contently and relaxed, closing his eyes. It was a cool, crisp winter evening. He'd spent the day with Jamie and his friends, taking part in an epic snowball battle that lasted throughout the afternoon. When it was time for them to head inside, he'd swooped down to South America for the evening to attend his winter spirit responsibilities. He was just giving Chile one last dusting before going further down south.

He suddenly frowned, his eyelids twitching. Something was disturbing his peaceful atmosphere. He opened his eyes and looked up, inhaling sharply.

Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. They were amazingly beautiful, colorful ribbons of light scattering across the night sky. To any normal mortal, they'd be a beautiful sight.

But to a Guardian such as himself, it built a ball of dread in his stomach. The last time he'd seen those lights was nearly a year ago, when the Nightmare King Pitch Black had tried to conquer the world. It was an emergency signal released by North, also known as Santa Claus, to signal the Guardians of Childhood to assemble at the North Pole.

Jack looked down longing at the little town, desperately resisting the urge to swoop down and play with the kids that had begun to emerge from their houses.

Still, part of him was excited. His first emergency Guardian meeting! Excitement took him over as he grinned and floated upright.

"Hey Wind!"

The old friend swirled around Jack, ruffling his hair in greeting. Jack's laughter was spread across the sky, and the light dusting of snow got heavier. He grinned widely as he listened to the children's' delighted squeals below.

He laughed again and spun in an aerial cartwheel. "Take me to the North Pole!"

Without any hesitation, the Wind lifted him up and sped him across the sky toward his destination, leaving a path of snowflakes in his wake.

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><p>The familiar sight of North's workshop greeted Jack as he neared the icy landmass that was the North Pole. The workshop's warm lights cast dancing shadows along the beautiful snow, allowing it to glitter in the low polar light. Jack smiled to himself. He'd missed this place.<p>

Since they'd defeated Pitch, they'd been having annual monthly meetings. The last emergency gathering had obviously proved that they needed to be more up-to-date with everyone and everything's happenings. The last meeting had been about a month ago, so it actually didn't feel any different from what he'd normally be doing.

He flew above the roof of the Globe room, which had a large skylight in the center, usually to talk to the Man in the Moon. Through the glass, he could see Bunny painting an egg furiously, discussing something with North. Jack chuckled. It was only January. Easter wasn't for a little while.

He saw Tooth chattering around and directing her fairies, her translucent wings beating a mile a minute. Sandy looked as though he had just arrived. He was currently fighting an elf over his cup of eggnog, and was losing pathetically.

Jack grinned. Business as usual for the Guardians.

He lifted the latch on the center window and dropped himself below. His entrance was swift and quick, and barely anyone had noticed. A rush of cold winter air flew in before him, along with a few flurries of snow to announce his arrival.

After being coated in a light dusting of snow, Sandy turned his attention from the elves and excitedly pointed to the window. He tugged on Tooth's free arm, who immediately stop her chatting and looked to where he was pointing.

The Tooth Fairy grinned and turned to her fellow arguing Guardians. "Look, Jack's here!"

Bunny and North both quit their arguing and looked up in surprise. A wide grin broke out on North's face as he spread his hands in greeting. Bunny rolled his eyes, but showed the tiniest hint of a smile.

Jack flew into sight, grinning madly. He tipped an imaginary hat on his head and bowed low. "And to whom do I owe this pleasure?"

Almost immediately, he was attacked by countless mini-fairies. The force was enough to knock him to the ground, and he sat back and laughed as the creatures chattered to him excitedly.

Bunny rolled his eyes and continued with his egg. "Bloody show pony," he muttered. Jack snickered and pulled himself to his feet as Tooth shooed the girls away.

"Jack! Good to see you could make it!" North exclaimed. Jack opened his mouth to speak when Bunny interrupted.

"You're late," he stated gruffly, having had switched the paint for his boomerang that he was now sharpening.

Jack's smile faded a bit. "I was over Chile when I got the call. It took a little while to fly up all the way to the other side of the world."

"Can't that wind of yours go any faster?"

The Wind swirled around Jack's feet and howled in anger. Jack scowled at the giant rabbit. "Wind does just fine," he said heatedly. "And I would think twice about offending him."

Bunny shrugged. "I'm just saying that North sent out the signal ages ago. We've been waiting forever for you to show up."

"_Bunny,_" Jack warned.

North cleared his throat and clapped his hands loudly. "Let us get down to business, yes? There is much to discuss."

Sandy formed a question mark above his head. Jack nodded and threw his staff over his shoulder. "Yeah, North, exactly _why_ are we here?" Horror suddenly dawned on him. "It can't be Pitch again already?"

North shook his head. "No, thankfully, it is not Pitch. I do believe Manny has called us here to talk of new spirit."

"New spirit?" Tooth turned her attention away from her fairies. "Who?"

White light suddenly flooded the room. Bunny looked up above their heads and squinted at the brightness through the window. "I think Manny's about to tell us, mates."

Everyone blinked and gazed in Bunny's direction. The moon entered the giant skylight in full view. A separate white light cascaded down and displayed itself onto the floor, right where the Guardians' seal was.

An image of a square appeared on the floor with four quadrants. One contained a picture of a snowflake, one of a maple leaf, one of the sun, and one of a flower. Jack's eyes widened. He knew exactly what this was.

Bunny gaped at it. "What the-"

Tooth bit her lip. "Is that-"

"The seal," Jack muttered. All heads turned to him and he kept his eyes locked on the floor. "The Seal of the Seasons. It's going to be another Seasonal Spirit."

North nodded solemnly. "It appears so."

The image of the maple leaf released itself from the quadrant and enlarged. The square with the other seasons disappeared, leaving only the maple leaf.

Bunny's ears flattened against his head. "Jack, as much as I hate say it, you're the expert on the Seasonal things."

Jack blinked, barely registering what Bunny had said. "It's… it's the symbol of the Spirit of Autumn. The last time I saw him was about fifty years ago. But, I mean, he was fine." Jack sighed, his eyes misty and his voice grave. "I wonder what happened to him."

Bunny hesitantly set a paw on the sprite's shoulder. "A lot can happen in fifty years, mate." Bunny said softly.

North sighed deeply. "Whatever the reason, Manny has chosen a new Spirit of Autumn."

"I wonder who it could be," Tooth said, fluttering about. "It could be anyone, really."

Sandy conjured so many images above his head, no one could make out what he was saying. Then he gasped silently and pointed to the floor.

Everyone turned their attention back to the leaf. It had faded, replaced by the image of a young girl. She looked to be somewhere in her teens, and had shoulder-length hair and a long dress.

Jack felt a vague sense of familiarity. It nagged in the back of his head, but he shook it off.

North scratched his chin as the image and the light began to fade. Once it was gone completely, North looked to his fellow Guardians.

"I do believe," he began slowly. "That we owe it to Manny to go check on this Autumn Spirit."

Jack looked up and huffed indignantly. "You didn't do that with _me."_

North nodded solemnly. "All the more reason why we should go." He clapped a large hand on the winter spirit's shoulder, causing Jack to stumble. "We have realized our mistake, Jack, and we made a promise not to let it happen again. There is a little girl out there who is lost and confused."

"North's right." Tooth placed a hand on Jack's other shoulder. His face softened a bit at her placating look. "We won't make a habit of repeating the past. We're going to be better this time."

Jack looked to Bunny and Sandy, who each gave the smallest sign of smiles. Jack sighed and couldn't help but grin at his friends.

"You're right." There was a collective exhale, and Jack realized that they had all been holding their breath. "What happened has happened. Now," he flipped up and somersaulted, landing in a crouch on the windowsill. "How are we going to get her here?"

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><p>A small girl with short brown hair and a long, faded dress sat on the ground. From what she could tell, she was surrounded by a ring of trees, right where she had been a few minutes ago. A pond was directly in front of her, lapping quietly at the shore. It was around twilight, and she was trembling with fear.<p>

She'd been walking to the pond in the woods, not too far from her village. Flu was spreading through the village fast and had already claimed her parents. Now, she resided alone in her home, afraid and on the verge of giving up hope. She'd come to this pond of memories, hoping to find to find some solace in this messed up world of hers.

She would eventually die on her own; she'd known it. She'd feared that one day, she may be the only survivor of her settlement. What would she do then?

And then, as the small girl had sat near the pond, weeping silently, she'd felt a sudden light surround her. She'd looked up to find herself sitting in this ring of trees, staring up into the night.

"What?" She murmured, tears trickling down her face. When she reached to wipe them away, she noticed the way that her bangs brushed against her eyes, blocking some of her sight.

She froze, because that's when she remembered: she hadn't had bangs since she was little.

The girl quickly stumbled to her feet, running to the edge of the pond. She leaned down to glance at her reflection.

At first, she yelped in shock and jumped back. Her hand covered her mouth, and she simply couldn't believe what her eyes had seen.

Slowly, she crawled back over to the edge of the pond and took another look.

Her hair was now a little longer, with streaks of bronze, brown, and amber alternating as the color. Her eyes were a curious mixture of brown, amber, and red flecks. Her skin was paler than before. The only things that remained the same were her long dress and cloak.

"Where am I?" She asked no one in particular, her eyes darting anywhere but her reflection. "Am I dreaming?"

She jumped suddenly when a deep voice entered her thoughts.

_No, _the voice said, kind and gentle. _This is no dream, my dear._

The girl's eyes snapped up. The voice had a strange calming effect on her. "Who are you?"

_I am the Man in the Moon, child. I have chosen you to become the Spirit of Autumn._

The girl blinked, confused. "A spirit? Me? What?"

_Because of your pure heart during your troubled times, I have chosen to entrust you with this responsibility. You have lost much, but I trust that you will find comfort once more._

"I'm only fourteen," she mumbled. "And I'm so confused- a spirit?"

_Although you are young, you have wisdom and maturity far beyond your years. Beware, the world has changed since your time._

"Wait, what does that mean?" the girl glanced around, but heard the voice no longer. "Wait! Come back!" The new Spirit of Autumn jumped to her feet and shook her head wildly, searching for anyone, listening for the voice again.

"Please, don't leave me! I don't know where I am!" She crumpled to her knees and dropped her head into her hands. She began to sob. "I don't know where I am!"

The spirit cried, reaching up to scrub her eyes. She wanted her mom. She wanted her dad. She wanted someone.

"I wish someone would help me," she whispered.

Suddenly, a blur of green darted past her. The girl's head popped up sharply, and she whipped her head around as the green buzzed past her again. She wiped at her tears and glanced around, rubbing her eyes. "H-hello?" she called tentatively.

The green blur darted by again, only this time it halted suddenly in front of her. The girl shrieked and flailed backwards, shuffling to her knees.

The green object squeaked in equal fear and flew out of sight. The autumn spirit's eyes widened as she realized that she had chased it off. She scrambled to her sheet and stood, turning and searching for the creature again.

"Wait!" She called, her voice echoing in the empty clearing. "I was just scared! Please, don't go!" Her eyes glistened with fresh tears. "Please."

After a beat of silence, the girl began to hear the soft sound of tiny wings appear behind her. Instead of jumping out of her skin like she so badly wanted to, she swallowed her fear. Slowly, quietly, she pivoted on the heels of her boots to finally see what this creature was.

As soon as the girl's vision focused, she blinked with pleasant surprise. The creature was a tiny thing, covered head to toe in various shades of blue and green feathers. It had large, wide eyes and a small yellow beak. It fact, it very much reminded her of a hummingbird.

The girl blinked. "Um, hello."

The poor little thing had been shaking with fear, but as soon as the spirit spoke, the hummingbird seemed to sigh with relief. It chirped and reached out, patting her cheek. A warmth spread throughout the girl.

"Are you here to help me?"

She - at least, the girl assumed it was a she - nodded vigorously. The little bird reached down and tugged on her hand, motioning to a path directly in front of them.

The girl hesitated. "You want me to follow you?"

It nodded again and tugged harder. A giggle escaped the fourteen-year-old's lips as the hummingbird feebly attempted to tug her in the direction she wanted her to go.

The autumn spirit laughed, her fear long gone now. "Where are we going?"

The hummingbird sighed and released the spirit's hand. She flew up to her face and chirped very fast, with wild hand motions and aerial zig-zags. She even spun around the girl's head at one point, which only succeeded in making her dizzy.

The girl sighed, knowing this was just getting nowhere. "Okay, okay." The hummingbird stopped her spinning and watched the spirit. "How about- why don't you just lead the way?"

The hummingbird quickly nodded and proceeded to zip through the trees. The girl, startled, shuffled her feet before she realized she needed to follow her guide.

She took off and ran through the trees, remembering the hummingbird's pattern with surprising clarity. Now that she thought about it, she also noticed that her feet seemed to glide across the surface of the ground in a way that had never happened. Her senses were sharper; she could see every leaf, hear every sound. Every step she ran, she could feel the vibrations of every living thing in the ground. She could feel if every plant in the forest was alive or dying.

It was amazing.

Soon, the girl could see ahead that the little bird had come to hover in another clearing. The girl came to a sudden yet graceful stop, thinking about how she must be a much better dancer now. However, what she saw next made her jaw drop with shock.

Just beside the hummingbird was a swirling blue hole in the air. It sparkled, casting shadows upon the ground and making the air ripple. The girl watched with wide, shocked eyes as it rotated this way and that, mesmerizing her with the unknown.

The hummingbird flew over a tugged on her hand, towards the anomaly. The autumn spirit stared at the creature in disbelief.

"I have to go in _that?" _

The hummingbird nodded and chirped in confirmation. She once again stubbornly pulled on the girl's hand, as there was no time to waste.

The girl only stood still, mute as fear suddenly crawled its way to her throat. Her voice broke as she asked, "Are you sure?"

More pulling, and then a desperate chirp.

She bit her lip, and for the first time, began to weigh her options.

From the looks of it, she was far from home, and probably was not going back. She had been left by herself in a place she thought she knew. She had a new name, given to her by some mysterious voice that crept into her head and then abandoned her. She was faster now, too. Quicker, even mentally. She could sense the danger in this situation, and some rational mind of hers was telling her to stay away from this strange magic.

And yet, there a new part of her that whispered, _wouldn't you like to know what's on the other side?_

She took in a deep breath. She made her decision.

She looked to the hummingbird with wide, curious eyes. "Do I just… jump?"

The creature nodded and fluttered to the girl's shoulder, settling there and signifying that they would do this together.

The girl nodded. "Okay." She took a step towards it.

"This is going to be interesting."

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><p>Jack glanced out the window, eyes falling once more on the snow. He'd been sitting there for nearly a half an hour, anxiously twisting his staff this way and that. "Shouldn't Baby Tooth be back by now?"<p>

Bunny, who was in an intense chess battle with Sandy, shrugged a furry shoulder. "Give the sprite time, mate. The poor lass is probably pretty freaked out. It may take a little convincing to get her here-" Bunny gasped as Sandy eliminated five of his pawns all in one go.

He scowled at the Sandman. "I bloody hate this game."

Jack bit his lip, his grip tightening on his staff. "Maybe one of us should have gone after all."

Tooth smiled sadly at Jack from where she hovered. "No, Jack, we didn't want to frighten her, remember? It's better this way, letting her come to us. Baby Tooth will come back."

Jack sighed. "I guess you're right." He turned his gaze to the window and continued to observe the snow.

"'Course I am," Bunny said, completely unaware that Tooth had spoken. Jack rolled his eyes.

"Sandy, that's my queen."

That's when North came thundering into the room, bouncing like an excited child. "They are here!" He boomed. "They are in the Globe room!"

Bunny took this moment to lift up the chessboard and throw it across the room. Sandy simply shook his head and smiled, a few sand pictures forming above his head.

_"I am not a sore loser!"_

Tooth quickly flew past them, trailing after North, who'd already disappeared in his excitement. "Come on, guys, let's go!"

While the big four traveled ahead, Jack lazily floated from the window, following them at a leisurely pace. While he anticipated the arrival of his new fellow Seasonal, he still couldn't shake that nagging feeling that was twisting in his gut.

Jack shook his head. "It's not possible," he muttered to himself. "My memories are still kind of unfocused. It could be anyone."

Still, anxiety grew heavy in his chest. He wasn't sure why, but he knew then that today was going to completely alter his life. Which was weird, even for a spirit like him.

When Jack finally made it to the Globe room, the other four guardians were already forming a semi-circle around something. As he found a spot for himself, he briefly caught the blur of green before something rammed into his chest. His hands automatically shot up to cup whatever was latched onto him.

When he looked down, he chuckled at the sight of Baby Tooth hugging him with her little arms as much as she could. He gently stroked her head.

"I'm glad to see you too," he laughed, tapping her beak. "Excellent job."

Baby Tooth chirped in delight and settled on his shoulder, nuzzling into his neck. Jack shook his head and looked up to finally get a glimpse of this mystery girl.

His heart dropped into his stomach.

She had bronze and amber colored hair, which reminded him of the autumn leaves that sat in piles during October. Her eyes were the same color, only with red flecks dashed here and there, and she was quite pale, though not as pale as himself. She wore a long brown dress and cloak, and she looked very shaken up, perhaps even frightened out of her skin.

But that wasn't why Jack was so surprised.

Her face. Her face set him off. She couldn't be a day over fourteen. She was very young, and, if he wasn't mistaken, she reminded him almost painfully of someone he used to know.

"But it's not possible," he murmured.

"SPIRIT OF AUTUMN!"

Jack jumped in surprise as he was torn from his thoughts by the sound of North's voice. The girl was no different, as she leapt about a foot in the air. She regarded North with a mixture of curiosity and terror, trembling as surprise shook her from head to toe.

North hardly seemed to notice. "We welcome you to the North Pole! I am Nicholas St. North, also known as Santa Claus, but mainly as North."

She blinked in confusion. "Why… why am I here? What's going on?"

North opened his mouth to answer, but Tooth beat him to it. She fluttered up to young girl and tried to placate her. "We brought you here because the Man in the Moon told us you were a new spirit, and we wanted to make sure you were okay." Tooth shed a small smile. "It can be a little scary, so we're here to help you."

At the word help, the girl's face was immediately rid of all fear. "You're going to help me?"

Tooth nodded and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm Toothiana, but you can call me Tooth."

The girl tilted her head in curiosity. "The Tooth Fairy?"

Tooth beamed proudly. "The very one. And that's Bunnymund-"

"The Easter Bunny," the girl breathed, her eyes wide in amazement. Her gaze went around the room, settling on each figure as she voiced their names.

"The Sandman."

Sandy raised a top hat and bowed politely, a smile plastered to his face.

"And-"

Her eyes met his, and it hit Jack like a pile of bricks.

He knew this girl.

He knew exactly who she was.

The question was, did she know who _he_ was?

The girl faltered, at a loss for words. Inwardly, Jack began to panic. Was he mistaken, or did she simply not remember? He didn't know if he could lose her again. What if she didn't remember him? Why would the moon bring her back, send her here, and make her not remember him?

The girl licked her trembling lips as words tried to form at her mouth. Tooth squeezed the girl's shoulder, mislabeling her reaction as confusion.

"This is the Spirit of Winter," Tooth tossed him a smile. "Jack Frost."

At the mention of his name, the girl visibly cringed and stumbled. Jack didn't know if he hold his emotions in much longer. He felt like exploding and unleashing a raging blizzard on everything, with him at the center.

"What's wrong?" Tooth asked, worry laced in her voice as she tried to steady the autumn spirit. Said spirit only stared at the ground, and Jack was silently begging her to have even the slightest recognition. Even the tiniest would be enough for him.

After a few minutes of tense silence, Bunny looked at him, a painful expression on his face. "Maybe you should go, Jack."

Jack only stared numbly ahead. He felt a heavy paw latch onto his shoulder.

"Jack, you're freaking her out." Bunny gently shook his shoulder. "Come on, we don't want to scare her."

"Jack."

All eyes turned to the owner of the voice, the one with the bronze hair. She shook off Tooth's hand and stared at Jack with a mixture of confusion and disbelief, taking a step forward.

"Jackson?" she squeaked, this time a question.

Jack's mouth was dry. He wasn't sure what to say.

"Only Father called me that," he blurted out. Instantly, he wasn't sure if he regretted the words or not, so he just stayed silent and hoped he hadn't said the wrong thing.

The Guardians watched the staring contest with rapt attention, and no one even heard Bunny pop out with, "What the bloody hell…?"

Jack broke away from the semi-circle and approached the young girl, who was still paralyzed with shock. He slowly knelt down, leaning his staff against his shoulder. Blue and bronze-red eyes kept their gazes locked as they studied each other closely.

"What's going on?" Bunny whispered to Tooth. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She then shrugged and continued to watch the interaction with deep interest.

Jack's heart was going a mile a minute. The girl's breath hitched.

Slowly but carefully, the girl reached out a hand, almost as if to touch his face. She then stopped herself and hesitated, and Jack took this moment to reach out his hand, palm forward.

He pressed his hand to hers, lining up their fingers exactly. Her hand was much smaller than his, and warmer. Still, in that moment where their hands connected, everything changed.

She quickly pulled her hand away and clutched it to her chest. Jack stared at his pale hand and flexed it carefully. He looked up and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Mary?"

The girl swallowed thickly. "You're…"

Jack reached out and touched her face. Tears welled up in the young girl's eyes.

"You're supposed to be dead," she blurted out, tears beginning to furiously run down her face.

Her accusation made Jack's chest tighten, but at the same time, he couldn't help but smile. "Nothing can kill me, little lady."

"Jack."

"Yes," he whispered. "It's me."

Mary threw herself onto him, latching her arms around his chest, sobbing. He dropped his staff and wrapped his arms around her small frame, trying to console her as she shook. At the same time, he wanted to scream in relief, cry in agony, and explode.

"Mary, Mary, Mary," he murmured, tears freezing at his lashes. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

She squeezed him tighter. "I thought you were dead."

"I know."

"Six years, Jack."

_For you,_ Jack thought to himself. _To me, it's been three hundred._

"I know," he whispered. "And I am so sorry, Mary."

"I'm just… I'm so happy," she pulled away just enough to see his face. "I missed you so much, Jack." She buried her face into his shoulder. "I finally have my brother back."

Jack laughed as he held onto her, vowing to never let her out of his sight again. The whole thing… it was too much to describe in words.

Behind them, North cleared his throat. Both spirits turned and, upon seeing their faces, Jack wanted to burst out laughing. But instead, he just smiled and stood up, taking Mary's hand.

"Jack," North began slowly. "What is going on?"

Jack did laugh then. "Everyone," He proudly made a sweeping gesture towards Mary. "I'd like you to meet Mary Isabella Overland." He looked to her lovingly, and through his tears he could see her radiant smile.

"She's my sister."

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><p><strong>AN: I realize there is debate on the true name of Jack's sister. For the purpose of this plot, I used the name Mary Isabella Overland. Please R&R!**


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